Abingdon 360

Events

Its Weds. and time to play BINGO - at the Community Center of Abingdon - 300 Senior Drive, Abingdon, Va Just off Whites Mill Road. Doors open at 5:00 pm and games start playing at 6:30 pm. Food and Drink are available for sale, free coffee and tea. Play all games

Homeschoolers are welcome to join us for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) workshop programs the first and third Wednesdays starting in Agugust. In November and December, we'll only meet on the first Wednesday of the month due to the holidays. No registration is required

The Fats Waller Musical Show
Music by Thomas “Fats” Waller
Conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz
The joint is jumpin’ with the new Swing beat to the music of the inimitable Thomas “Fats” Waller, who rose to international fame during the Golden Age of the Cotton Club. Ain’t Misbehavin’ evokes the delightful humor and infectious energy of this American original as a versatile cast struts, strums and sings the songs of “Fats” Waller made famous in a career that ranged from uptown clubs to downtown Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood, and concert stages in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The intoxicating music of Fats Waller will delight and energize audiences as well as provide great insight into a vibrant time in American history and music.
Director's Notes Prior to having the opportunity to direct here at Barter Theatre, I hadn't heard the music from Ain't Misbehavin’ since the late 1980s and had completely forgotten how much I loved it. Certainly my Charleston, South Carolina family is glad the show is finally up on its feet and that for the last three weeks they haven't had to hear me breaking into song. This is definitely the kind of music that will have you humming or singing days from now. Admittedly, listening with my ears from the "hashtag days of today" was a different experience from hearing it the first time, it will still always be one of my favorite musical revues of all time. This music and this musical does a body good!
Thomas "Fats" Waller was a prolific songwriter and an internationally known performer who died entirely too young. At age 39, Fats succumbed to pneumonia after cancelling a tour to return home to New York City to heal. He didn't make it all the way home; he died outside of Kansas City, Missouri, but he left us with an entire body of work that will keep him alive forever. He wrote and/ or recorded more than 500 songs in his short lifetime, some of which you will hear in the show. So, Fats Waller and his cronies made quite an impact musically in the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The music was fun, catchy, and kept folks moving. I'm trusting that this performance will do the same for you. So sit back, and let this band and these performers take you back in time!
I'd like to add a special thanks to the entire Barter family and my incredibly talented and generous creative team. Thanks for the love, Y'all. Take care of JP and my babies...
Joy Vandervort-Cobb
Director – Ain’t Misbehavin’
Cast & Credits Cast: Charlaine (Mezzo-Soprano): Kara-Tameika Watkins
Andre (Baritone): Richard E. Waits
Ken (Tenor): Jerrial Young
Nell (Alto): Syreeta S. Banks
Armelia (Soprano): Vannessa A. Jones
Musicians: Reeds: Gary Robertz
Trumpet: Sloan Hill
Bass: Glenn Diamond
Drums: Jack Foster
Collaborators: Director: Joy R. Vandervort-Cobb
Musical Director: John Bronston
Other Musical Staging: Amanda Aldridge & Ashley Campos
Set Design: Hana Lee
Costume Design: Howard Tsvi Kaplan
Lighting Design: Andrew Morehouse
Sound Design: Tony Angelini
Stage Manager: John "JP" Pollard
Corporate Sponsor:
Videos

Tuesdays are open mic night at Wolf Hills Brewing Co. Sip one of the four year-round beers on tap or try the rotating six to ten other taps while listening to live music acts.
The brewery takes its name from the original appellation that Daniel Boone gave to the wilderness that became Abingdon. Tradition holds that Boone and his hunting companion spent a sleepless night along a hill on the Great Road after their dogs encountered a pack of wolves, which had a den in a nearby cave. Drawing from this rich history, Wolf Hills Brewing Co. melds together time honored brewing methods using only the highest quality ingredients with modern beer styles. The result is a level of fresh, savory beer that is unmatched in this region. Discover one of our many styles for yourself . . . you’ll be howling for more.

Darlene and Charlene, twin sisters from South Carolina, steal $20.5 million from the Department of Defense through a loophole. What begins as an accident turns into a 7-year fraud that these middle-aged Baptist women justify. Funny and touching, Dough & Cookies is a surprising look at greed, grief and the extraordinary journeys of a wounded heart.
Director's Notes It’s amazing how we, as humans, have the ability to justify actions that we know are wrong. We’ve all done it in some way or another. We’ve watched celebrities do it, politicians, wives, husbands, children. We convince ourselves that we do something for “the greater good.” Or perhaps because, “I deserve this.”
In Dough and Cookies we see a prime example of self-justification that comes from a very specific need — the need to compensate for a loss. Grief is powerful. It makes us do all sorts of crazy things, behave in ways we don’t recognize. It takes us on a wild ride through the full spectrum of emotions—from laughter to tears and everywhere in between. Much like tonight’s play does.
Darlene and Charlene don’t start out with the idea of stealing $21 million from the Department of Defense. Through a chance clerical error, they find themselves in the middle of it. And then they find all sorts of reasons why it’s okay for them to be doing something they clearly know is wrong.
And while it’s easy to judge people who have done something wrong from a distance, I hope that their story will serve as a reminder that we don’t always know the full story. We don’t know another person’s burden and how they’re trying to bear it. And if it can happen to someone like Darlene—devoted wife, mother, and Sunday school teacher, it can happen to any of us.
Nicholas Piper
Director, Dough and Cookies
Cast & Credits Cast: Darlene Worley: Carrie Smith Lewis
Charlene Caddell: Ashley Campos
David Worley: Andrew Hampton Livingston
Bill Caddell: Michael Poisson
Brother George: Tyler Cramer
Collaborators: Director: Nicholas Piper
Set Designer: Derek Smith
Costume Designer: Antonio Torrez
Lighting Designer: Andrew Morehouse
Sound Designer: Tony Angelini
Stage Manager: Cindi A. Raebel
Videos